Cooperstown NY Noms

Sera: Ahh, Cooperstown. A small rural town in the middle of nowhere (well, it does have that Baseball Hall of Fame) where I spent my middle/high school years. My parents still live there, so it was inevitable that I'd go up for a visit and have Chris tag along.

Despite the fact that I abhorred it when I lived there, I now enjoy visiting Cooperstown. The land is still unspoiled by developments, so there's rolling hills covered with lush forests and fields. Perfect for all the "running, jumping, climbing trees" that I love to do. I feel very calm and refreshed when I visit, and I've often overcome with awe and nostalgia. I was really looking forward to showing this to Chris, as I know it's something he'd appreciate.


Sera: Breakfast is hard to do in Cooperstown as there's no real "winner" amongst the various places to go. I decided on Doubleday Cafe, as they always had tasty and reliable fare. The place itself has an interesting rustic/diner/sports bar vibe.

Chris: We walked to the Cafe from our parking spot about a half mile away and I became instantly aware of the influence of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The whole area was filled with baseballs fans, baseball memorabilia stores, baseball attractions, and in this case, a baseball themed restaurant. However, the Doubleday Cafe did it in a way that wasn't as silly as the rest.



Chris: Pictured above is my breakfast! I decided upon the Huevos Rancheros; a breakfast dish that I have become more fond of as I've aged a bit. It was actually very well balanced. I expected it to be a bit spicy, and it was, but not so much as to overwhelm the rest. The cheese looked less plastic in person than it does in the picture, I assure you.



Sera: My omelette of the day: ham, tomatoes and mushrooms. The eggs were well cooked yet still fluffy. The toast was great too; browned and lightly buttered.


Sera: Side of bacon. BREAKFAST COMPLETE!

Chris: I like bacon. A lot. Shut up. So after we had breakfast we worked up our lunch hunger by walking around a peaceful park and boat dock. We stopped at a farmers market and purchased some Welsh pastries to carry with us (which we had forgotten to photograph). The reason there are no pictures of these delightful cookies was...ducks. Lots of them. We stumbled upon a pack of the little guys and couldn't help but feed them. They looked so...hungry. One of them was a huge jerk, seriously. After the ducks had devoured our snack and we finished our tour of Cooperstown proper, we headed to lunch.

*DRAMATIC SWIRLY CARTOON LUNCH LOGO!!*

Sera: I decided that Brewery Ommegang was a must visit, as Chris is a fan of Belgian ales.

Chris: I am, yes. They are yummy. You should try them. The main difference with the Belgian ales is the use of cooking spices in the process. This leads to many interesting and complex flavors.

Sera: We took a tour and went to a tasting that was offered to the participants. Despite the fact that I don't like alcohol, it was fun to see how my chocolate "nose" dealt with the flavors of these ales. I liked the Rare Vos the best.

I found it funny that in the gift shop we spent more time looking at the chocolate than the alcoholic stuff. I also started to feel really woozy after that small tasting. Chris had to drive after that. Whoops.



Chris: Out of the beers that we tasted, I do agree that the Rare Vos was the best and I wasn't surprised to find that it was one of their best sellers. I'm a BIG fan of wheat ales, but was mildly disappointed with their wheat offering, the Witte. It wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't memorable either; I found it lacking the lighter complexities I had come to love about wheat beers. The Three Philosophers lambic was VERY flavorful and a great 'after meal' beer. However, it was extremely rich, thick, and filling that I couldn't see drinking a whole lot of it in a single sitting.

We returned to the house for a few hours and before we knew it...it was dinner.

*DRAMATIC DINNER SEGWAY!!*

Sera: Brooks BBQ is a local favorite. It specializes in a special molasses sauce based BBQ, with the BBQ chicken being a favorite. Brooks has been around for generations and when visiting Hillary Clinton and Rachael Ray both made a point to come eat here.

The only problem is that when coming here, you're bound to run into someone you know. We were soon joined by relatives and at the same time cowering in hopes of not being recognized by my high school art teacher.

We also saw a dude with a pretty rad mullet.

Chris: It was mighty! He was also jacked. REALLY JACKED. I think he was a stone mason. Pretty much the kind of gentleman that could get away with having such a profuse mullet.




Chris: I had the sampler dinner with some BBQ chicken, a rib, and some roast pork. It was all fairly tasty, but it was basically 'take our one sauce and slather it all over everything' and the items tasted somewhat similar. Additionally, I prefer a more smokey BBQ sauce with more of a tomato/vinegar base; this one was REALLY sticky.

Sera:
Breakfast: OM NOM
Ale: OM
Dinner: OM NOM NOM (biased!)

Chris:
Breakfast: OM NOM
Ale: Mixed, some OM, some OM NOM
Dinner: OM NOM

Doubleday Cafe
93 Main Street
Cooperstown (607)547-5468

Brewery Ommegang
656 County Highway 33
Cooperstown, NY 13326
(607) 544-1800

Brooks Bar-B-Que Restaurant
5560 State Highway 7
Oneonta, N.Y. (607)432-1782

First Dinner at Nadia

Chris: In the relatively small town of Lansdale, PA there used to be a quaint, family-run Italian restaurant. I liked it very much. I would go there for dinners with friends and family on a regular basis. One day, to my surprise, it was closed. The windows were covered in boards and there was a small paper sign that said 'Under New Ownership'. BWAH!? My Italian spot had closed?! Who would ever do such a thing? Months passed. I saw people with paint buckets and hand tools working busily away. Eventually a banner was put up that announced that it would soon become 'Nadia'; a Thai/French eatery. Well...I said to myself, '"Self, perhaps you should give this place a shot when it opens". And I did. And...well, lets just say that if anyone was to fill the shoes of the former owners, I'm glad it was Nadia.

Sera: Very early on when we were dating, Chris, yet again with his knowledge of all the local awesomeness that I was obviously missing out on, suggested we try Nadia at some point. Knowing fully my strong foodie tendencies, he couldn't hold back his enthusiasm for the place, especially their Lemongrass soup. "It'll blow your mind" he assured me. So the weekend for our Bucks County Adventure came along with our first fated dinner at Nadia. Oh, the anticipation!

BEHOLD! THE FOOD PORNS!



Sera: The soup, yesh? IT IS INDEED A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE (OR AT LEAST WORTHY OF TYPING IN ALL CAPS ABOUT).

Chris: It has the right kind of spice that makes your mouth tingle and urges you to come back for more. There are wafer thin slices of onion, pepper, mushrooms, and lemongrass a delicate, reddish broth. You can have your soup with chicken, shrimp, or tofu, and while I haven't tasted the tofu option I'm sure its just as fantastic as the rest.



Sera: This beauty is my Tropical Gangoon: shrimp, pineapple, peppers and onions all slathered in a sweet/spicy coconut based curry sauce. NOM! Ohhhh, it was goooood.



Chris: As for me, I selected a dish that I had eaten before but had come to love; Kang Ped. It is a red curry with pieces of simmered duck meat, peppers, onions, a little pineapple, and slices of bamboo. It was a bit spicier than Sera's dish, however, I'm in love with its perfect balance of heat, sweetness, and complimenting textures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Overall: Unanimous OM NOM NOM!

Note: Additionally, I've addicted my family to the place as well, and they have repeatedly asked, 'When are we going again?!'

(Now, I know what you're thinking. All of their ratings have been the highest. Well...these places are worth it. They're great. If we come across something 'Ok'...we'll let you know. PINKY SWEARZ!)

Nadia Thai-French Cusine
113 Walnut St
Lansdale, PA 19446
Phone: (215) 855-3256

Our First Dinner Out - Mixx Asian Bistro 7/25/08

Sera: One of the first places Chris insisted that we eat at together was an Asian bistro called Mixx in Philadelphia's Chinatown. It's a favorite place of his and he couldn't wait to take me there. We finally had the opportunity to go before an MGMT concert one evening back in July.

Chris: My roommate in college introduced me to this little gem after he had returned from a semester in Japan. He was craving a little piece of his overseas trip back in the states and said this place made him feel a bit like he was back in Tokyo. It has a relatively small dining area with an extremely welcoming atmosphere. Subdued lights. furniture and shelving of different colored woods, and flowing drapes on the ceiling create a sort of inner warmth.

Sera: Chris just couldn't stop raving about their Chow Kueh Teow, a dish that I was unfamiliar with, but considering my foodie tendencies, couldn't wait to try.

Chris: I had tried it once on a whim (to just have something different from their menu) and it blew my mind. I had never had a specifically Malaysian dish and this one completely wow'ed me. After looking into its history I found it to be a relatively common dish in its native country, and that it had been catching on in many countries! HOW DID I MISS IT?!



Sera: So we ordered it. Isn't it pretty? I assure you, it's terribly delicious. Chris knows how to pick 'em.



Sera: We always "family style" it when ordering out (for maximum tasting purposes of course!) so I ordered some sushi to balance the heaviness of the Chow Kueh Teow. Chris was unfamiliar of the wonder of inari sushi, so I made sure to order it so he too could experience intense new food deliciousness. I ordered some sashimi and shrimp cucumber roll (it had mayo in it, and I'd been craving the stuff like mad at the time) to round things out.

Chris: I've always been very fond of the sushi at Mixx and these items were delicious. They routinely have very creative special rolls (both in name and ingredients) and they are immaculately prepared. The variety and freshness are also quite impressive! I'd also like to note that the service at this establishment is some of the best I've ever received. Their staff is friendly, attentive, and makes you feel like family. Every time I go there I recognize the same faces and they are always accompanied with a smile. I've never once felt rushed and I get the feeling that they really enjoy placing a dish in front of you that you'll enjoy. I highly suggest that if you're anywhere around 10th and Arch on an empty stomach that you stop in and say 'Hello!'

Verdict? OM NOM NOM!

Mixx Asian Bistro
1002 Arch St
Philadelphia PA 19107
Tel: (215) 923-1180